Outram Sec to carry on sporting legacy at new campus in Sengkang

It will offer new sport CCAs; football pitch among facilities to be shared with ActiveSG

- Elisha Tushara Correspondent

An artist's impression of the learning pavilion at the entrance of the school. It will serve as an outdoor classroom that connects students with nature.

(Source: MINISTRY OF EDUCATION STRAITS TIMES GRAPHICS)

For decades, the splashing of water and excited chatter of students at Outram Secondary School's swimming pool echoed through its York Hill campus.

Since the pool opened in 1977, generations of students have used it for swimming lessons and to train in water polo.

When the school opens at its new 3ha campus in Sengkang in January 2026, the pool will not be there, but the school is not giving up on its sporting legacy.

Its swimmers now train at the Singapore Sports School in Woodlands, and Outram Secondary also intends to work with community pool facilities such as the nearby Sengkang Swimming Complex to enable students to use the pools.

"The school will not have a swimming pool, but why would you settle for one when you have three?" said principal Keith Tan, referring to Sengkang Swimming Complex.

Secondary 3 student and water polo athlete Choy Tian Le, 15, said he chose to attend Outram Secondary because of its sporting history, and is glad that the new campus is near several public pools where students can train.

Outram Secondary is known for its achievements in swimming, water polo and rock climbing. It won its first B Division water polo title in 2013. In 2025, in a combined team with the Singapore Sports School, its C Division boys finished third at the National School Games.

Tian Le added: "It doesn’t matter where we train, as long as our legacy persists, and we continue to excel in water sports."

The move to the Sengkang campus marks a new chapter for one of Singapore’s oldest schools, which celebrates its 120th anniversary in 2026.